Store lighting apparatus



Feb. w, 1941.. H, L LO N v 2,232,543

STORE LIGHTING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 3, 195a INVENTORATTORNEY Feb 18, 1941. H. L. LQGAN STORE LIGHTING APPARATUS Filed March3, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 n Ma a T0 N m R W m A W H .1 7 4 5 I A I 7 I \L5 I r\l\1 ,6/ m m r 7 I H/ mmo w 3 l H 7/ W I H w 0, M 71 I MW 6 6 a w LV i W V Z 7 7 Patented Feb. 18, 1941 v PATENT. OFFICE STORE LIGHTINGAPPARATUS Henry L Logan, New Rochelle, N. Y., asslgnor to HolophaneCompany, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware ApplicationMarch 3, 1938, Serial No. 193,634

9 Claims.

The present invention relates to store lighting apparatus, and is moreparticularly directed to lighting apparatus arranged to facilitatelighting of merchandise on display.

5 It is customaryto light large areas, where merchandise is on displayfor sale, by suitably placed ceiling supported luminairs which give areasonably uniform intensity of light throughout the area. Theseluminairs have a fixed location and light distribution and do notprovide a flexible lighting scheme whereby specific displays may besubjected to a more intense lighting to make them more attractive to thecustomer. To obtain this effect, it has heretofore been necessary toinstall lamps on counters, or spot lights supported from the ceiling,from columns, or any other accessible place. Such installations havemany undesirable features such as the expense of permanent wiring, orthe unsightliness of temporary wiring, and the conspicuous nature of thespot lights which do not fit into the architectural design of the store.Furthermore the observant customer is almost always conscious of theefiort to direct attention to thehigh lighted display.

The present invention contemplates that there shall be incorporated ina. single piece of apparatus the equipment necessary for generallighting as well as for display lighting. Such a unitary piece ofapparatus may have an appropriate so ornamental appearance without itsdisplay lighting feature being obvious. The wiring and switching may beinstalled and completely concealed and adequate flexibility of operationobtained.

In carrying out the objectives of the present invention, it appears mostconvenient to employ asingle comparatively large box which receives thelight sources and light directing means, such as reflectors, lenses,screens, mechanical parts 49 and the like.

"Theaccompanying drawings show for purposes ofillustration a typicalstore lighting layout embodying apparatus suitable for the purpose, it

being. understood that the drawings are illustrative of the inventionrather than limiting the same.

y In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one bay of a department store withlighting apparatus installed;

Figure 2 is alongitudinal sectional view of one form of dual purposelighting apparatds;

Figure 3 is a perspective viewof the same; Figure 4 is a sectional view(taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 5) through the optical system for 9.display lighting unit showing externally operable mechanism foreffecting adjustments;

Figure 5 is an inverted plan view of the structure of Figure 4, partsbeing omitted;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 4, partsbeing in elevation; and

Figure 7 shows a detail.

Figure 1 shows a typical section of-a store, the two rear columns beingindicated at Ill and II. For the general illumination of this area fourlighting units may be required, these being placed at or near theceiling and adjacent the columns. In the drawings four of the dualpurpose units are indicated at It, l5, l6, l1. Each of these units hastwo optical systems, one, such as G, designed for general directlighting with such spread and intensity as conditions require, and theother optical system, such as A, designed for display lighting. Thelatter provides beams of light which may be directed toward the desireddisplays in various locations with a cone such as .0. Two such cones areshown.

Figures 2 and 3 show a lighting apparatus having two optical systems Gfor general lighting and one optical system A for display lighting. Eachgeneral lighting optical system employs a lamp bulb 20 supported from asocket 2|, a reflector 22, preferably prismatic, and a lens plate 23having annular prisms. For smaller units only one general lightingsystem need be used. The design of the reflector and plate will sheetthe desired distribution oflight for general lighting, as shown by therays 9, g. The display lighting system A employs two fixed lenses 40 and4|, the upper one being dished, and a movable lamp and reflectorassembly 42 whereby the light source and reflector may be adjustedrelative to the lens so that the emitted beam may be oriented in thedesired direction. The spread of the beam is indicated by the rays 0, a.A mechanism for orienting the beam is, illustrated at 43 in the form ofa ball and socket joint. Here the entire unit is in the form of a box 44adapted to be recessed into the ceiling.

In the arrangement shown in Figures 4 to 7, inclusive, the opticalsystem for display lighting includes a. pair of square lens-plates and6!, a lamp bulb 62 whose light center is indicated by the letters LC,and a reflector 63. The top of the box'which encloses the lightingapparatus is indicated at 65. It is provided with an aperture in linewith the lens axis to receive a downwardly extending tubular couplingmember 66 which revolubly carries a sleeve ill-keyed or otherwisesecured to a gear 68 and a nut 69. The

outside of the hub 10 of the sleeve 81 revolvably carries a secondsleeve 1i which is secured to a plate 12 by screws 18. These sleeves maybe rotated independently by any suitable externally operable mechanism.According to one convenient arrangement illustrated, the lower sleeve IIhas sprocket teeth 1| connected by a chain 14 with a sprocket wheel 15carried on a tube 18 which extends down through the bottom of thehousing to an operating knob indicated at 11. Turning the knob 11 willtherefore turn the sleeve 1i and parts carried thereby, including theplate 12.

The plate 12 has downwardly extending side members 18 provided withslots, one of which appears at 18. These slots are adapted to betraversed: by pins 80 carried by a radially shiftable carrier 81 for thesocket indicated at 82. This socket carrier is moved back and forth bydownwardly extending arms 88 which are connected to a reciprocatoryslider 84 carried in guides 85 and provided with a rack 88 in mesh withthe pinion 68. The reflector 88 is secured between the two straps 8|.The pinion 88 is actuated by the sleeve 81 which is provided withsprocket teeth 61 in mesh with a chain 81 operated by a sprocket wheel88 and connected to a shaft 89 which is operable by a thumb wheel 80below the box.

If it be assumed that the parts are in position shown in full lines inFigures 4, 5, 6 and 7, it will be apparent that turning the lower knobor thumb wheel 90 will rotate the pinion 68, and this will rotate thesleeve 81 and pinion 88 to effect a radial movement of the slider 84.This will shift the lamp socket, lamp bulb and refiector to the leftcausing the pins 80 to traverse the slots 18, so that the light centerLC will travel along the line indicated at 9|. Turning on the thumbwheel 11 will impart rotation to the sleeve 1| and will revolve theplate 12 and all the mechanism supported by it, so that it will bepossible to swing thelight center about the axis. This will effect anorientation of the beam whose obliquity is determined by the amount ofoffset from the lens axis. To limit the turning movement a stop isprovided, as indicated at 82.

When it is desired to use the same lens sys-. tem, light source andreflector for general lighting, the screws 83' which secure theright-hand end of the yoke to the straps 83 are removed to disconnectthe yoke 8|, the pins 80 are slipped out of the slots 19 and are theninserted into bayonet slots 88 at a lower level. The end of the yoke isthen secured to the side plates 18 by placing longer screws 83' in holes84 in the lower portions 18' of plates 18. Moving the lamp bulb down tothe lower position will bring about a wider distribution of lighttransmitted through the plates.

It is obvious that the invention may be embodied in many forms andconstructions within the scope of the claims and I wish it to beunderstood that the particular forms shown are but a few of the manyforms. Various modifications and changes being possible, I do nototherwise limit myself in any way with respect thereto.

I claim:

1. A luminair comprising a light source, an enclosing housing having anopening closed by a light concentrating lens, the light source beingnormally in the axis metrical beam is projected along the lens axis, andexternally operable means for shifting the light source out of the lensaxis and for anguof the lens so that a sym-.

larly turning it about the lens axis for controlling the obliquity ofthe beam and orienting it, the shifting means being etfective'upon theshift of the light source away from the lens axis to cause the lightsource to approach the lens.

2. A luminair comprising an enclosing housing having an opening closedby a light concentrating lens, a member supported for rotation about thelens axis, a second member supported by the first member for radialmovement relative to said axis, a lamp socket and bulb supported by thesecond member to partake of both rotary and radial movement whereby thelight source in the bulb can be oifsetted relative to the lens axis, andexternally accessible means for rotating the first member and shiftingthe second member.

3. A luminair comprising an enclosing housing having an opening closedby a light concentrating lens, a. member supported for rotation aboutthe lens axis, a second member supported by the first member for radialmovement relative to said axis, a lamp socket and bulb supported by thesecond member to partake of both rotary and radial movement whereby thelight source in the bulb can be offsetted relative to the lens axis, anexternally accessible shaft rotatably mounted in the housing anddrivingly connected to the first member for turning it, and anexternally accessible means for radially shifting the second member.

4. A luminair comprising an enclosing housing having an opening closedby a light concentrating lens, a member supported for rotation about thelens axis, a second member supported by the first member for radialmovement relative to said axis, a lamp socket and bulb supported by thesecond member to partake of .both rotary and radial movement whereby thelight source in the bulb can be ofisetted relative to the lens axis,

. externally accessible means for rotating the first member, and anexternally accessible shaft rotatably mounted in the housing anddrivingly connected to the second member to radially shift it.

5. A luminair comprising an enclosing housing having an opening closedby a light concentrating lens, a member supported for rotation about thelens axis, a second member supported by the first member for radialmovement relative to said axis, a lamp socket and bulb supported by thesecond member to partake of both rotary and radial movement whereby thelight source in the bulb can be ofisetted relative to the lens axis, anexternally accessible shaft rotatably mounted in the housing anddrivingly connected to the first member for turning it, and an extemallyaccessible shaft rotatably mounted in the housing and drivinglyconnected to the second member to radially shift it.

6. A luminair comprising an enclosing housing having an opening closedby a light concentrating lens, a member supported for rotation about thelens-axis, a cam carried by the member, a second member supported by thefirst member for radial movement relative to said axis, a lamp socketand bulb supported by the second member to partake of both rotary andradial movement and movable by the cam, whereby the light source in thebulb can be offsetted relative to the lens axis and the spacing of thelight source from the lens is a function of the amount of offset, andexternally accessible means for rotating the first member and shifting"the second member.

ill

' closely adjacent luminairs' each having a light source, a "downwardlyacting reflector and a 1 prismatic lens plate, the plates being in acommen-horizontal plane, one luminair being adapted to produce a.downward beam'of wide spread 7 light symmetrical about a vertical axisfor general illumination, the other being adapted to produce a narrowconcentrated beam for special or display lighting and having means toshift the source and reflector so that the angular position of the beammay be adjusted and variably placed displays lighted at high intensity,the lens plates being of similar appearance when the luminairs are notlighted and having light scattering characteristics so as to produce asimilar luminous appearance at wide angles when the luminairs arelighted. and an enclosure which conceals the 20 sources and reflectorsso that the apparatus presents the appearance of a single lighting unit.

8. A luminair comprising an enclosing housing having an opening closedby alight concentrating lens, a member supported for rotation about thelens axis, a second member supported by the first member for radialmovement relative to said axis, a lamp socket and bulb supported by thesecond member to partake of both ro tary and radial movement whereby thelight source in the bulb can be offsetted relative to the lens axis, andmeans for guiding the second member in its radial movement so that asthe light source is shifted away from the lens axis it is moved closerto the lens.

9. A luminair such as claimed in claim 8, having a reflector about thesource opposite the lens and secured to the second member to movetherewith. 1

\ HENRY L. LOGAN.

